MIPTV Picks 2012: War Horse – The Real Story

This documentary mixes archive footage with first-hand testimonials, detailing the hardships endured by the horses on the frontlines of the First World War, as well as the relationships formed between the hardy animals and their masters.

Steven Spielberg’s latest theatrical epic has cast the world’s attention on the story of the War Horses of the First World War – equine comrades that rode with soldiers into battle. This documentary mixes archive footage with first-hand testimonials, detailing the hardships endured by the horses on the frontlines, as well as the relationships formed between the hardy animals and their masters. A million British horses were “called up” to serve in the war, taken from farms and country estates. And while a quarter of that number would die on the field from shrapnel and disease, the war horses would prove to be deciding factors in the conflict’s outcome.

TAGS:

About The Author

Daniele Alcinii is a news editor at realscreen, the leading international publisher of non-fiction film and television industry news and content. He joined the RS team in 2015 with experience in journalism following a stint out west with Sun Media in Edmonton's Capital Region, and with communications work in Melbourne, Australia and Toronto. You can follow him on Twitter at @danielealcinii.